I recently signed Dr. Daniel Allen’s and Stolen And Missing Pets Alliance’s (SAMPA) #PetTheftReform petition to classify the theft of a pet to a specific crime in its own right and I’m happy to tell you it achieved the required 100,000 signatures in just four months. Pet Theft Reform was debated on the 2nd July 2018 in Westminster Hall and since then the support has continued to grow. Animal welfare charities such as Dog Trust, National Animal Welfare Trust, RSPCA, Kennel Club and Blue Cross also continue to back the demand for this change, including many MP’s cross party.

I appreciate the law as it stands should act as a deterrent but as the vile crime continues to increase year on year it clearly is not working and as long as a sentient being is categorised as property this will remain the case.

I would like to mention that MP Ross Thomson’s Private Members, Pets (Theft) Bill, 2nd Reading has been postponed twice because of business in the house and we are waiting for it to be rescheduled! I hope you will be able to support the general principles and themes of the Bill?

Feel free to use the template letter including your own feelings and/or experience of your missing or stolen dog, cat, horse or any other pet and include a poster.

MPs are far more likely to reply if they receive personal correspondence from you and don’t forget to ask family, friends and neighbours to write in, as the more letters they receive on one topic pushes the issue to the top of the pile.